I’ve always had a leaning toward older cars. As a kid I drooled over the FD RX-7, Corvette ZR-1, and E36 M3 that were then new. But I’d have equal, if not more enthusiasm for the odd Audi 4000Q, Nissan Maxima (4 Door Sports Car!), or even the humble Toyota Corona.
Of course, those two vehicle groupings have nothing in common, but that mattered very little to the teenage me that had just got his license and wanted something, anything that had four wheels and a manual transmission. Perhaps even more important, was that this four-wheeled anything was something you could afford to buy, insure, and maintain on a high school, part-time job budget.
This Toyota Corona is not a sports car (not even a 5 Door Sports Car!). It doesn’t have racing pedigree, a cool engine, timeless styling, or even all its hubcaps. But with four wheels and three pedals (I checked, it’s a stick) it would have been just as good as any Bavarian bahn-stormer to me.
“As good” in non-performance terms at least. The U.S. version of this car was powered by the venerable but blasé 20R more known for chugging along in contemporary Toyota Pickups and 4Runners. No, the motor would carry its due diligence of suffering the learning curve of a teenage owner, and the freedom granted by this set of keys would taste just as sweet as the aforementioned sports-cars more likely to put a feisty teen into the ER after their first taste of third gear.
Shame though, I doubt any teen will be getting their first taste of any gear in this example. Hard to say how long it’s been sitting here, but the registration sticker shows it’s been nearly twenty years since its last renewal. Come to think of it, this car has possibly been sitting longer than it had been driven by the time it was parked.
Admittedly, my ear is more susceptible to the siren of insurmountable projects, and who knows why it was parked in the first place. Maybe it failed its emissions test for the last time, or the clutch packed up, or the owner picked up a then-new 1997 Toyota Prius and parked their Corona instead of sending it to the crusher.
But that owner cared enough to spare this car the fate that’s befallen more drool worthy vehicles. You could almost imagine airing up the one flat tire, spraying some starter fluid down the carb and driving off into the sunset. And while its credentials might lack draw at the local Cars & Coffee, the humble taste of freedom it echoes would be anything but.
Pretty cool!